Bullfighting was facing an uncertain future in Spain yesterday with
the announcement that the last bullring in Barcelona is to close after
failing to draw enough spectators.

The rising cost of mounting a spectacle that a growing number of
Spaniards view as a cruel and unnecessary part of their culture has
forced the promoters of the Monumental Plaza de Toros to cut their
losses and look for alternatives uses for the ring.

The company which owns the bullring admitted that the falling number
of spectators meant that it lost more than �16,000 each time it held a
bullfight.

The closure next year of the last bullring in Catalonia's capital city
follows that of two others in recent years - one of which is being
transformed into a shopping centre designed by Lord Rogers of
Riverside.

Promoters across Spain have seen their profits fall as it becomes
ever-more expensive to stage the events. The Spanish Union of Fighting
Bull Breeders estimates that it can cost more than �70,000 to stage a
corrida with a big- name bullfighter.